Green Colour
Green Colour
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for the green colour group. In the Mechotech catalogue this group lists Flowers - Tea Tree / Yarrow / Black Eyed Susans, Leaves - Spinach / Chamomile / Nettle, Plant - Larkspur / Dyer's Broom, Skins - Red Onions. The catalogue treats green colour as a group page rather than a single plant: the member pages describe the individual raw materials. Mechotech’s natural food colour article lists spinach (chlorophyll) among natural food colour sources.
Mechotech’s green colour plant is configured around the raw material chosen from the group and the target colour extract. It is built in SS 316L with integrated solvent recovery, automation and full documentation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. The raw material, solvent and extraction route are selected during process development and pilot validation. For a green colour the pigment is typically chlorophyll, which is sensitive to heat and acid, so the plant is built around gentle extraction, vacuum concentration and, where a water-soluble product is wanted, an optional chlorophyllin conversion step as described in the linked case study.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Green Colour Natural Colour Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Raw Material | Selected from the group: Flowers - Tea Tree / Yarrow / Black Eyed Susans, Leaves - Spinach / Chamomile / Nettle, Plant - Larkspur / Dyer's Broom, Skins - Red Onions |
| Plant Part / Feed Form | Varies by raw material (flowers, leaves, whole plant, skins, galls, hulls, roots, grains or vegetables); confirmed with the client for the chosen material |
| Colour Group | Green Colour |
| Extract Type | Natural colour extract (liquid concentrate or dried powder, per specification) |
| Extraction Method | Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction with food-grade solvent (alcohol / aqueous), multiple cycles at controlled temperature |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filters |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Spray or vacuum dryer |
| Automation | PLC-based |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air and power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Natural colour extract (green colour group) |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Raw Material Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Scale-up trials, contract manufacturing |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial production |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Manufacturing Process
Raw Material Preparation
The chosen raw material is authenticated, tested for moisture and cleaned, then milled, crushed or macerated to a uniform particle size to maximise solvent contact before extraction.
Extraction
The prepared raw material is extracted with food-grade solvent (alcohol / aqueous) in closed jacketed SS 316L extractors at controlled temperature over multiple cycles, with the solvent system chosen for the pigment class of the selected material.
Filtration
The extract (miscella) is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters.
Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The miscella is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, with solvent recovered through the condenser return system so that heat exposure of the pigment stays low.
Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed for colour strength and adjusted to the declared target specification before the final finishing step.
Drying & Quality Control
The standardised Green Colour extract is spray- or vacuum-dried where a powder is required, then released after the agreed assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial and moisture tests.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw material cleaning and size-reduction system
- Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels
- Solvent storage tanks
- Plate-and-frame filter press
- Cartridge polish filtration
- Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
- Solvent recovery unit and condensers
- Standardisation / blending vessel
- Spray or vacuum dryer
- CIP system
- Automation and instrumentation
Plant Output
Case Study
Chlorophyll Extraction & Natural Green Colour Manufacturing Plant
See how this plant was engineered and delivered for a real project.
Applications
- Natural colour and dye ingredient supply
- Food and beverage colour applications (subject to approval of the specific colour in each market)
- Cosmetic and personal-care colour applications
- Nutraceutical and Ayurvedic / herbal formulations
- Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply
Key Features
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-return recovery reuses solvent between batches and reduces solvent loss.
Multi-Material Flexibility
The same extraction, filtration and concentration line can be configured for the different raw materials in the group, with solvent and conditions set per material.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release assay are used to check the finished extract against its declared target specification.
Gentle Concentration
Vacuum concentration keeps heat exposure low for temperature-sensitive colour compounds.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Green Colour?
What specification can the Green Colour plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Green Colour plant?
Which raw materials are in the Green Colour group?
What gives plants a green colour, and what is a green colour extract?
How is the raw material chosen?
Which related colour pages does Mechotech list?
How is a green colour extract produced from leaves?
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